


Harjumägi

by Icelilly



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Detectives, Idiots in Love, M/M, Prompt Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-12
Updated: 2018-11-12
Packaged: 2019-08-22 12:28:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,620
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16597928
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icelilly/pseuds/Icelilly
Summary: They came so close to telling each other the truth. Even with the strongest hints provided on both sides, they still couldn’t say those magic words. Love is kind of funny that way.





	Harjumägi

**Author's Note:**

  * For [phyripo](https://archiveofourown.org/users/phyripo/gifts).



> My (very late!!) submission for the Secret Spectres event put on by the Hetalia Writers Discord! My recipient was my good friend phyripo! It was such an honour to get you! <3
> 
> The second I saw that you wanted a Detective AU, I was SO excited to get started! Your prompt though sparked a little too much creativity and suddenly I had a universe with a fic that wasn’t going to be finished in time! So instead, here’s another fic set within that universe I created. The original story is something I hope I can finish next year after I’m done with my fanzine submission!
> 
> I hope you enjoy it! ;w;
> 
> Disclaimer: Hetalia belongs to Hidekaz Himaruya. I don't own anything but the story itself.

Christian didn’t expect to find true love in a foreign land. **  
**

This journey marked the first time he came to Estonia and he came with one goal in mind: to finish off a case he was given on the request of a desperate family looking for answers on their deceased daughter. He studied the case notes carefully: a Danish national, a student attending the University of Tartu, found dead in a local park in Tallinn. She was hit in the head with a heavy object and was left for dead. Nothing of value was stolen from her; her phone and wallet were all left in her purse. Investigators from both Denmark and Estonia pointed fingers at the ex-boyfriend, also a Danish national, who was charged in her murder. But the family didn’t believe that this was true as the two were no longer in a relationship prior to arriving in Estonia and were on very friendly terms. The former couple grew up together and the family refused to accept the verdict.

That is where he, Detective Christian Mikkelsen, comes in to fix the damage of faulty investigators. He knows many of them are looking for the easy route when it came to cases like these. He used to work in the police force for several years before he finally quit to work on his own terms.

On the advice of his Swedish colleague that he often worked with regarding his cases in Stockholm, Christian was given the number of an Estonian man who ran a small detective agency in Tallinn where he was set to arrive in. **  
**

“Name’s Eduard Tamm,” his colleague said over the phone. “He’s a hard worker and he’ll be of good help to ya in Tallinn. He did a lot fer me when I had a case down there too.”

He didn’t expect much; he sounded like a nice fellow and spoke fairly good English with a noticeable accent. They agreed to meet at his office near Tammsaare Park. Coincidentally, that was in walking distance to where the crime took place.

He only came to Tallinn for work. His only goal was to solve the case of the deceased woman.

But it was that day that Eduard Tamm entered his life. And Christian fell—and he fell  _hard_.  
  
On the surface, Eduard Tamm doesn’t look like much. He looks like a rather plain individual with short blond hair, square glasses, and always dressed in the same sweater-vest and dress pant combo but in varying colours. It would be hard to distinguish him as a private detective as he dressed more like he were the IT specialist of a large company. Christian had wondered if he only dressed in this manner to avoid sticking out like a sore thumb during investigations but he quickly discovered that wasn’t the case. He loved wearing those kinds of clothes, right down to the patterned socks and the occasional ties. It was always something different. One set could be plaid, another could have polkadots, and sometimes they’ll just be a solid and plain colour.  
  
Christian doesn’t mind one bit. He thinks it’s kind of cute, and it suits him well.  
  
He also turned out to be pretty laid back and fun to hang out with. A homebody by nature; Eduard loved to bake (Christian swore he was going to return to Copenhagen bigger than when he left), knit, and tend to his small garden mixed with flowers and fruits and vegetables. He had a knack for technology and could fix any problem under the sun. Christian also noticed he had some wild tastes in music. He quickly realized this during their first drive together to Tartu and Eduard had control of the aux cable. Eduard was simply all over the map. One song could be classical, the next a popular current pop song, and the next could be progressive rock. At one point, he experienced Estonian folk metal for the first time and Christian wondered if he was still in the car with the same man he left with.  
  
But the experience showed that Eduard loved to have fun. He was the perfect buddy that he co ****uld have a few drinks and chat about anything with. He admired a man like that.  
  
That, however, didn’t mean Eduard wasn’t professional when it came to the job—far from it. Even when Christian had had enough of the endless amount of notes or getting eye strain from staring at either a computer or his phone, Eduard was still hard at work at his desk with his contacts on speakerphone. He seemed to know just about everyone around in the country. He knew folks at the police station ready to check records with no questions asked. He had friends working in an office in Tartu and took care of clients in the southern portion of Estonia. And lastly, friends here at home with a Belarusian woman who took care of their Russian clients and a Finnish man (one who he had worked with once in the past) taking care of cases in Finland and on the islands. Christian fully understood why his colleague recommended him. There was no way he could have navigated the country without his assistance, to which he was grateful for.   
**  
**His time in Estonia has been time well-spent. Though the case was far from complete, the thought of returning home to Copenhagen haunts him. He’s come to love this small country and he’s come to love Eduard as well. Whether or not Eduard felt the same way as he did didn’t matter to him. His friendship was more than enough and thought of him not being at his side left him with an uncomfortable pain in his chest. There would always be the phone calls, emails, text messages, and the occasional visit, but it simply didn’t feel the same, especially on the lonely nights on the road or in a plain-looking hotel room.  
  
But Christian always buries those thoughts deep into his mind. They’ll cross that road together when that time comes. For now though, he tries to enjoy the time they have now. 

  
In the midst of an autumn afternoon, Christian was sprawled out on a bench in the Danish King’s Garden inside Tallinn’s Old City. Eduard was not too far away as he was taking a phone call and spoke in his native tongue while holding a cup of coffee. Christian loved hearing the Estonian language and let himself get lost within the words. So pretty, so melodic, so _different_. It was a nice change to be in an unfamiliar land and hear a language few would ever hear in their lifetime. He was so used to hearing Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian that he no longer batted an eye whenever heard it. Even German was losing its charm after taking on so many cases in places near the Danish-German border. He had tried to pick up the language to impress Eduard and though he struggled with some words (attempting to make the Õ-sound would be the death of him), seeing him laugh was the biggest reward he got for his efforts. It was possibly the first time he ever felt his heart soar and his cheeks grow warm. **  
**

But the call ends and Eduard returned to his spot next to Christian on the grey painted bench. With Christian’s arm freely resting across the top of the bench, he could have easily pulled Eduard close and into a romantic embrace—the same kind that couples do when they’re on dates like these or at the movies. But he restrained himself from doing so and instead readjusted into a proper sitting position and moved his arm back to his side.

“Who was that?” Christian asked.

“That was Raivis. He did some digging into the story given by one of our prime suspects.”

“Since when did that kid learn to speak Estonian?”

“He’s full of surprises isn’t he?” Eduard laughed. “He’s actually pretty good at it. He’s not fluent yet but he’s been catching on really quickly. I can carry a decent conversation with him now and he’ll understand what I’m saying.”

Eduard paused and took the last few sips of his coffee and then tossed it out into the trash bin next to him. He continued on about Raivis’s findings.

“So you know how our suspect said he was participating in a wrestling tournament right? Well, technically that was true. But not on the date he said it was on.”

“Oh?” Christian’s attention was grabbed by this new information, “Go on.”

“The tournament was cancelled on the day it was supposed to run because a storm rolled in and did some some damage in the area where the stadium was located, including knocking out the power. Therefore it was rescheduled to take place a few days after. Many of his teammates said he didn’t stick around much in the following days and even skipped some practice sessions.”  
  
Christian let himself sink into the bench again and relaxed with the sun beaming down on him. He shut his eyes as a silly grin formed on his face.  
  
“Looks like we owe our friend another visit. That team should be coming back up to Tallinn for another tournament right?”  
  
Eduard nodded, “Yeah, Raivis said they should be arriving at the end of week and coming up from Pärnu. We can interview him again when they arrive at the bus station.”  
  
“A solid plan.”  
  
Eduard took a quick peek at his watch. It was almost twelve-thirty and he was feeling a little eager to grab a quick bite.  
  
“I’m getting hungry. Why don’t we grab a bite at our favourite spot? We are a little far but if we time ourselves well, we’ll just miss the lunch rush.”  
  
Christian didn’t even need to think twice at the offer. Though he wasn’t feeling that famished, he refused to turn down a lunch date with Eduard. He jumped to his feet with a newfound excitement and encouraged Eduard to lead the way with a small gesture of his hand.

The two men left the gardens and soon entered into Harjumägi where the park was full of beautiful multi-coloured trees—a true symbol of the autumn season. It felt more open here without the stone buildings and he enjoyed hearing the crunch of the fallen leaves under his feet as he walked. At the entrance of the park, a young woman had a small stand full of various bouquets of flowers and she was assisting an older woman who was pointing at a bouquet of white gardenias. Though the two men had long since passed her, the flowers remained on Christian’s mind. His thoughts wander off as a scenario plays in his mind; he visits the booth and buys the first set of flowers he saw previously and present them to Eduard. He graciously takes them with his eyes beaming with so much excitement. Eduard then thanks him with a simple and short peck on the lips and Christian pulls him close for a warm embrace. **  
**

Such a scene would never happen, especially in a place like this. But a man like him could dream.

“You’re awfully quiet over there.”

Christian was interrupted from his daydream and turned to Eduard who boasted a curious expression and that ever so charming smile he had come to love.

“Are you thinking about that woman we passed by? I don’t blame you. She looked really pretty.”

He choked as he felt his heart sank. But Christian kept his cheerful demeanour and continued on as if the words had never hurt him.

“She looks nice, I guess. But nah, I was looking at the flowers more.”

I was hoping to give you some, was what he wanted to add but he wouldn’t dare say that out loud.

“Her name is Liis. She’s really friendly and her stand is a Tallinn staple! I visit her once in a while to buy bulbs for my own garden. I don’t know who her supplier is but her stock is top-notch! She has an older sister who sometimes helps out but I haven’t seen there in a while. But she’s also pretty nice and really knowledgeable about plants.”

“Sounds like you know her well,” Christian said with a dreary sigh. His lively look was slowly losing steam. “Have ya asked her out for coffee?”

Eduard appeared perplexed by that comment as he chuckled, “Where’s this coming from? No way, I’m not interested in her.”

There was a brief pause and Eduard’s expression soften. His blue green eyes seemed dreamy and his cheeks changed to pink. “Besides, there’s someone else I already like.”

His voice was soothing to the ears and barely above a whisper. It was so endearing to watch this confident-looking man grow shy at the thought of a crush, even if Christian knows that it’s not him.

“Have you told them yet?”

Eduard shook his head, “No, I couldn’t do that. The person I like lives far away so we would never work out anyway.”

“You don’t know that! Long-distance relationships are hard but it’s definitely possible, especially in this day and age. You should definitely tell her how you feel!”

Eduard stopped and stared at Christian like a deer in headlights. He blushed hard as he released what he had just said. Christian you are so dumb, he repeatedly told himself. He was certain that their relationship was going to grow awkward from here. He had made himself look like a fool.

But to Christian’s surprise, Eduard smiled as he let out a hearty laughter.

“Christian, I swear, you’re really something,” he said as he slipped his index finger underneath his glasses to wipe a tear from his eye. “I’ve never seen a guy so passionate about love before. It’s actually really refreshing.”

As much as it was a sigh of relief, it was now Christian’s turn to be at a loss for words. But as if he couldn’t be any more astounded than he already was, he had never expected to hear Eduard say the following words:

“But I have to say, that was pretty bold of you to think that. I never said it was a woman.”

That sentence packed a powerful punch to his chest and was nearly knocked off his feet. Never in a million years did Christian see that coming, but when he put more thought into it about it, the more it made sense. He had never seen Eduard flirt with a single woman since he arrived here several weeks ago, even off the job whenever they were at bars. The one time an interviewee attempted to flirt with Eduard, it seemed to fly right past his head as Eduard had continued to ask questions. Any woman he had spoken about was either in a professional or in a platonic matter. Some possibilities had come to mind: Eduard was not interested in women at all, Eduard was not interested in romance previously but was now and happened to be in love with a man, or Eduard liked both and was currently interested in another man, Either way, it was a glimmer of hope for Christian that maybe, just  _maybe_ , that he could still be the one for Eduard.

“I didn’t expect that at all,” Christian said he ran a hand through his wild blond hair. He was still trying to come down from the surprise of the news. “I never took ya as someone who swinged that way.”

Eduard was a little hesitant to say it but with a quick peek around his surroundings, the park was nearly empty with the exception of a few people sparsely hanging about and ultimately decided to take a chance and open up to Christian.

“To be honest, I like both,” Eduard said. “I can trust you not to say anything about this to anyone right?”

“You can count on it,” Christian said a firm but proudful voice, “If it helps anything, I’m in the same boat too.”

Eduard felt a sense of comfort as a grin quickly formed. Though they have have only know each other for several weeks, Eduard felt so comfortable around Christian and as if he’s known him for ages. He was grateful to have someone like Christian in his life.

But despite the important stride made in their friendship, Eduard was quick to change the topic. Christian was a little surprised by the action but he remembered that Eduard was a quiet and private person by nature. To admit something so personal in such an open space was probably not something he wanted to stick around too long on.

“We should keep on moving. We still have a long way to go until we reach the restaurant.”

The two men continued to walk together but things had gone quiet between them. However Christian remained ever-so curious. The question he wanted to ask him burned in his chest. He wasn’t sure if he should—but if he wasn’t going to do it now, he knew he never will.

Christian thought carefully how he wanted to word himself. He didn’t want to make Eduard uncomfortable by outing his interest in him so bluntly. He had to play around and only throw the hint casually slipped in.

“Hey Eduard? You don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to but,” Christian paused, “The person you like, is it someone I know?”

Eduard remained quiet for sometime and Christian grew increasingly anxious. He wondered if he crossed a line he shouldn’t have. But the look in Eduard’s eyes said otherwise and the man smiled back at him. His heart soared when he heard Eduard say the words that gave its strongest hint yet.

“You could say that,” he laughed.

He didn’t plan on it but Christian slowly reached out and affectionately touched Eduard’s fingers gently for a brief moment before he quickly pulled away after realizing what he had done.

“I’m sure they feel the same way as you do.”

A quiet laugh escaped Eduard’s lips as he stuffed his hands inside the pockets of his black pea coat. Eduard’s smile was tender and though he did not speak, Eduard’s eyes had come to life with a sparkle that Christian had never seen before.

Emotions danced from within Christian. He definitely still had a chance.

* * *

It was eight in the evening when they decided to call it quits for the night. There wasn’t much left that they could do till morning. Though their prime suspect was coming to Tallinn in a few days, they decided to head back to Tartu early in the morning for some follow-up interviews and to coordinate with their local affiliate. Before they said their goodbyes, they agreed that Christian would drive over to his place and they’d take Eduard’s car for the ride down.

When Eduard arrived through the door of his tiny bungalow home, he tossed his keys on a set of hooks, removed his coat, and changed from his dress shoes to his comfy blue slippers. He slid his feet across the wooden floors to his bedroom and left his bag on the desk before collapsing into the soft sheets of his bed. His curtains were thinly made and it allowed the moon to shine over the bed and his slender appearance. His eyes were fixated at the light fixture above him but his mind has left this universe for another. He was so close to telling Christian the truth today. His dream world could have come to life had said those three simple words.

And yet, he didn’t do it. Circumstances set it up so easily, so perfectly, and he couldn’t do it. Eduard had never hated himself more than now.

He promised himself he would never mix love and work. It was a combination that was set to fail. He also told himself to never do long-distance relationships. That too was a route that lead to failure. Eduard knew that all too well—he lived through the experience for several months as he tried to put in the time and effort to keep things alive when his partner was not. It hurt too much to go through that process again.

But that was all before Christian walked into his life. Now he was stuck deciding between his heart and sticking to his morals. Christian was the missing piece to his ever-complex puzzle. He never thought he’d find someone who meshed so well with him.

He could get away with it, Eduard repeatedly told himself, Christian is merely another detective from another country needing assistance. They are only colleagues for the short time they are going to be together for. But his mind refused to leave him alone.

So Eduard escapes. He shuts his eyes and lets himself be washed away to his daydreams. Tonight, they are enjoying the Estonian summer somewhere on the islands on a large blanket near the sea. Christian’s head is in Eduard’s lap as his fingers run through Christian’s mess of a hairdo. Time is an unknown concept with the midnight sun in the sky. Much to Christian’s delight, Eduard leans in for a tender kiss. Neither one were afraid to express their love for each other, for Eduard owned the land they sat on and the surrounding area was deserted.

Yes, he liked this world better than this one. Staying here forever was the eternal dream. But in the end, he knows all too well that the real world will come knocking soon. For now though, he’ll stay asleep and be young and in love, just as he always wanted to be.


End file.
